"Rock Steady" High Register Licks

Hmmm...I'm not so sure about that Dr., I play it pretty much as recorded. If I can nail it, I KNOW Chuck Rainey could manage it without an overdub. Either way, It's a funky tune, super funky bass line !!

 

I dunno...this one has always perplexed me. Every time I think I have it down after listening, I attempt it while listening and I throw my hands up and just start playing the stupid three notes after every measure. Drives me nuts, but I'm sure we'll find out at
some point there was a super secret bass trick we didn't know about...kinda like that F# Octave thing on Billy Jean. Enough to make your mind explode.

 

I'd very much like to hear how you do it.

 

I don't think so. Time stamps where you think he does?

 

Try it at this tempo:

 

Is this the 3 notes at 42.5 sec (and similar)?
Techically that's possible. It's a high F -F#-G where tyhe G is simultaneous with the low A. That's possible to do, playing an open A with your thumb.
But that would sound different than the rest of the low A's and on the recording I don't hear any difference, so I don't think it was played that way.

Are we even sure it's not a guitar?

 

I'm agreeing with you on this one. I don't hear a low A being simultaneously played with the F-F#-G lick and even if I did, you could omit the low A, and it would still sound funky as all hell. As far as it being a guitar, I highly doubt it, but who knows.

They should've kept transcriptions. Didn't these producers understand they were making music that would be studied and scrutinized 45 years in the future?

 

I always assumed it was overdubbed or the guitar.

 

Sounds playable to me (same track). Especially for a badass bassist like Mr. Rainey.

 

Yes, it's a single playable track. It made me get much much better at position changes because I was replacing a guy, and the band was already doing the tune.

 

No overdubs. It's called being a master of your instrument.

 

That's not super hard. It's all built around open A with your thumb. With all fingers it is awkward string crossing. Practice just playing the As and the fills. Skip the low G and C. Once you are dialed on that you just have to jump down to hit the groove notes around the A, all the low notes as thumb plucks.

Basically the same trick as slapping in the key of E. You can wander around and hit notes but that E is there whenever you need to thump it.

I do hear the guitars doing a similar run here and there but the bass is clearly doing it with that fat round tone. A little call and response happening.

 

90% of the time in the part is the low notes, so why stay up high? I learned the groove first, then the accents, fingerstyle. The right hand wasn't the challenge. You can still play the part w/o the accents.

 

I agree. It's a fast position shift for the fill but easily doable with a little practice. Particularly since you can bounce it off the open A.

And like others have said, if I can play it I know Chuck could do it in his sleep.